Momentos
by OwlIs
Summary: As Arthur prepares to ask the biggest question of his life, he and the team look back at the moments that brought them here.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Inception is one of my favorite movies and I'm glad to finally have the opportunity to write a few fanfictions for it-hope they do the characters some justice!**

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><p>Arthur paced anxiously back and forth o the floor, heart racing.<p>

"Darling, you need to calm down. Your stick in the mud brain can't take any more excitement or it'll explode." Eames teased, British accent drawling out the words.

Arthur paused to scowl at his colleague before continuing to pace.

"You're not doing this alone. We'll be with you the entire time." Cobb offered.

"That only makes me more nervous." Arthur stated. "What time is it?"

Eames stared at his watch, a smirk rising on his face. "Nine fifty,"

Arthur yelped, jumping up in the air. "WHAT?! I'm supposed to be there at ten!"

"Relax Arthur, it's only nine thirty." Cobb said, glaring at the hysterical man in the corner of the room.

"I-I'm sorry...sort of. I couldn't help myself. He was just being so _Arthur_, I couldn't not tease him."

"Oh shut it," Arthur growled, hitting Eames on the back of his head.

"Arthur, I know you and I know Ariadne. I guarantee that she's not going to reject you." Eames assured with a wry smile.

"An Eames guarantee isn't exactly a US treasury bond," Arthur scowled. "What if I'm rushing into things? What if we're not ready?"

"Now, you know I'd never lie to you darling,"

"I can think of ten occasions off the top of my head." Arthur snapped.

"_But_ I really mean it when I say that she will not say no. Ariadne loves you. You've got nothing to worry about." Eames stated.

Arthur took a deep breath before announcing, "I think I'll go pick up Ariadne now."

"It's only nine thirty-five." Cobb pointed out.

"I'll just...circle her apartment a few times." Arthur resolved before walking out the door.

Cobb shook his head. "There are few things that can shake him, but the things that can more than make up for it. Did you really mean what you said Eames?"

"Mostly every word. They've been dating for two and a half years and known each other for four. Unless she really doesn't feel ready I doubt she'll say no."

"I agree." Cobb said. "Now come on, we've got a job to do."

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><p>Arthur drove around Ariadne's apartment for the 5th time, eyes hardly leaving the clock. 9:50. <em>Still too early.<em> Nerves bounced around in Arthur. The past four years had practically flown by. He couldn't imagine life without Ariadne anymore. She had stolen his heart piece by piece ever since she had stepped inside the warehouse. Arthur smiled as he thought about the first time they had kissed.

_"What's happening?" Ariadne asked, watching the dream shake._

_"Cobb's drawing Fisher's attention to the strangeness of the dream," he explained, closely watching the projections around him. A sudden, genius idea flashed in his mind- it was spontaneous, unplanned, the exact opposite of Arthur. But the opportunity was too much to resist. Taking a quick breath he continued, "Which makes his subconscious look for the dreamer...for me." Now or never Arthur. "Quick, give me a kiss."_

_It was short, no more than a few seconds, but Arthur relished every millisecond of it. It was nice to do some improve for a change._

_Ariadne broke the kiss, eagerly looking at the projections and foolishly believing that Arthur was serious. "They're still looking at us."_

_Arthur could hardly suppress a smile at her innocence and trust. But the fun was over- she had to know. "Yeah, it was worth a shot. Come on, we should probably get out of here." He said slyly, a ghost of a smile flickering across his normally expressionless face as Ariadne stared at him in shock as realization hit her._

The memory gave Arthur confidence. 9:58. Arthur parked his car and walked up to the apartment. Once his clock struck ten, he promptly knocked on the door. A moment later, Ariadne stood in the doorway, smiling up at the point man. "Hey Arthur! On time as usual, come in. I just need a few seconds more," she explained, rushing back into her apartment. She wore a midnight blue dress with teardrop diamond earrings and a matching necklace. Her brown hair flowed in curled ringlets and her lips were a ruby red.

"Ariadne...you look...stunning." Arthur gaped. For once, the point man was at a loss of words.

"Well, you said to dress nice," she explained behind a blush, "though I don't know why."

Arthur smiled. "It's nice to go out every once in a while. Are you okay with dressing up?"

"It's fine. It's just that we both don't normally dress up. I usually go in jeans or a skirt and you always wear a three piece suit."

Arthur laughed nervously, anxiety rising. "Let's just go to the restaurant. Don't want to miss our reservation,"

Arthur could barely talk during the car ride due to his nervous thoughts. He wanted to talk like normal, but at the same time he worried that if he talked, he would reveal his secret. As they sat down and ordered, hardly fifteen words had passed between them.

"Are you okay Arthur? You seem distracted." Ariadne remarked.

"I'm fine."

"You're shaking." She said, nodding to the tilting glass of water in his hand. "Did something happen? Are Cobb and Eames okay? Wait, Yusef?"

"Everyone's fine Ariadne. Don't worry." He said with a sigh, quickly thinking of a new topic. "Do you remember when I first asked you out?"

"Do I remember? Of course! Any more help from the team and they could have taken me out too!"

Arthur laughed, trying to relax by losing himself in the memory.

_I can't do it Eames. What if she says no?" Arthur whined, tapping his pen against his desk._

_"She won't say no! You two are so bloody annoying, googling each other when the other isn't looking and dancing around! You're not in middle school anymore!" Eames argued. "If you won't ask her out, I will."_

_"You wouldn't!" Arthur yelped, jumping out of his desk._

_"Try me! I'd fancy a date with our young, beautiful architect." Eames said coyly, analyzing the point man's reaction._

_"Yusef!" Arthur yelled, turning for support._

_"I don't care which of you she dates, but if either of you break her heart you'll be dealing with me." Yusef said calmly._

_"You! Who said anything about you?" Eames demanded._

_"I'm one of Ariadne's closest friends. As such, I have to look after the guys she decides to date." Yusef argued._

_"Cobb!" Arthur yelled as the extractor entered the room. "Eames is threatening to ask Ariadne out and Yusef's threatening me!"_

_"Hello to you too," Cobb grumbled. "Nice to know you all get along so well when I leave."_

_"I only threatened him if he hurts Ariadne." Yusef reasoned._

_"If you need to threaten anyone, it'd be Eames!" Arthur said._

_"Hey! I would never intentionally hurt her! She's my architect!" Eames defended._

_"Your architect?" Arthur dared._

_"Stop it! I doubt Ari would like you fighting over her." Cobb pointed out. "And-"_

_"Wait, what gives you the right to call Ariadne Ari?" Eames asked._

_"Yeah," Arthur chimed in, "when did that start?"_

_"Ariadne lets me call her that. Her permission is more than any of you have." Cobb explained indignantly. "Arthur, just ask her out already. Eames is just tired of your flirting. Yusef, calm down."_

_"We're not flirting!" Arthur protested._

_"Oh, and you're not a stick in the mud," Eames sniped._

_"I agree." Yusef added._

_"Just ask her!" Cobb said "I give you my permission."_

_"Your permission?" Arthur, Yusef and Eames asked._

_"I'm the father here, since all of you insist on acting like a bunch of children." Cobb snapped. "Please Arthur, for the sake of peace, just ask Ari already."_

_"Ask me what?"_

_The boys turned to see the girl in question entering the warehouse, a bag of supplies in her arms._

_"Arthur has a question for you." Cobb said calmly, staring pointedly at him._

_Arthur let out a nervous squeak, face turning red."No I don't!"_

_"Ariadne, will you go out with me?" Eames asked._

_"_EAMES_!" Arthur yelled, running at him. "What happened to the guy code?!"_

_"I'm sorry Arthur, does that apply to you?" Eames asked teasingly, running away from the angry, barreling point man._

_Yusef tried to stop Arthur from tackling their teammate, but Arthur dodged him._

_Cobb sighed, before grabbing Arthur by the arm and swinging him towards Ariadne. "Get on with it!"_

_Coming face to face with Ariadne, Arthur quickly calmed down._

_She stared innocently at him, hardly blinking. "Well Arthur?"_

_"Ariadne," Arthur said slowly, deliberately, "will you join me for dinner tonight?"_

_A broad smiled graced across her face. "Sure, I'd love to."_

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><p><strong>That's all for now! The rest of the memories will come in later chapters- too long to finish in a one-shot! I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

"You were so nervous." Ariadne giggled.

"Believe it or not, I practiced in the mirror for a month before that." Arthur admitted. "I had no idea when I would get the guts to ask, so I felt that I had to always be prepared. I had no idea Cobb set it all up."

"I guess the whole team was fed up with our 'flirting.'" Ariadne agreed. "He told me to wait outside for five minute sand when I came in, you would ask me out."

"Who knew Cobb could be such a great matchmaker?"

"Not me." Ariadne said. "Do you remember when you took me to the ocean?"

Arthur smiled. "How could I forget? You were so happy. And that sandcastle!"

Ariadne laughed. "I may have got a bit overboard."

"A little? Ariadne, you went insane. Most kids build a sand hill with an inoperable moat. You made a human sized fort with a sand drawbridge, a moat, and a fence! Not to mention all the sand shovels and buckets you stole from-"

"I did not steal any of them! They were donated to the castle. An admission fee." Ariadne huffed.

"You made them give them to you."

"The toys were a necessary part of the structure Arthur! I needed them!"

"So you confess?"

"I confess that all of my ideas and hard work paid off, correct?"

_"Ariadne, it's past midnight! Do we really have to be out here?" Arthur complained._

_"High tide should be up son. I have to make sure the fort is secure!"_

_The two were stalking on the beach, looking like ghosts from a distance on the empty boardwalk._

_"There could be serial killers out here."_

_"We've took on worse." Ariadne dismissed with a wave. "Together we could take them."_

_"Yeah, in dreams. This is reality." Arthur argued. "You know, anyone could have taken your castle. A hobo could be staying in there for the night."_

_"If anyone's in there, I'll kick them out. Unless they're a hobo and have no other place to stay." Ariadne stated. "There it is!"_

_She ran towards the massive fort, which continued to stand tall despite the waves._

_"It really is impressive." Arthur admitted._

_"I know. Look, the emergency draining system is working perfectly! The moat's even holding the water!" Ariadne squealed._

_The duo stood in the doorway, holding each other and watching the tide ebb and flow._

_"You know," Ariadne said, "this really is romantic."_

_Arthur shrugged. "If you take away the serial killers, hauntings, and legends associated with this place, then I suppose it is."_

"Were you serious about that or were you trying to be funny?" Ariadne asked.

"How often do I ever joke? You know I like watching criminal shows."

"Yeah, to outsmart the criminals and such."

"Don't talk about them like they have no purpose. You watch them with me."

Suddenly, the waiter approached, two silver trays in his hands. "Dinner is served,"

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><p>Cobb and Eames stood impatiently at the proposal destination. All the preparations were complete, so there was nothing left to do but wait for the happy couple to arrive. "I can't believe it's only ten." Eames complained. "Knowing Arthur, he won't be here until eleven thirty on the dot."<p>

"Only one more hour of torture. Then all of your work will pay off." Cobb said with a smirk.

"It's about time too! You know I deserve the credit for bringing them together, with me asking Ariadne out and such. With no help from you too! You almost broke them up!"

"I got the together."

"Oh please. Arthur never would have asked if I hadn't asked first."

Cobb shook his head, choosing to ignore the remark. "Arthur did an excellent job of mapping out the proposal."

"Oh yeah. He's taken at least four months picking out the ring, three months on the speech, and one phone call for the set up. If only Ariadne knew how much work he put into it all."

"The ring preparation was a bit much." Cobb said, thinking about his elaborate scheme.

_"How am I supposed ot propose if I don't know her ring size and rock preference?" Arthur argued._

_"You have _got _to be kidding me. Cobb! Please help me!" Eames yelled._

_"Eames has a point. You just can't ask Ariadne about rings and not expect her to catch on. You need to guess."_

_"But what if I guess wrong?"_

_"She's not going to reject you over a poor ring choice." Eames teased._

_Arthur glared accusingly at him. "How do you know?"_

_"Relax darling, I know exactly how to get you the best ring without Ariadne knowing a thing."_

_"That smile makes me nervous Eames."_

_"Just give me a week."_

One week.

_"This is a horrible plan." Arthur said. "I feel bad."_

_"Come on. She's already sedated. It's too late to go back now." Eames said, pulling out an IV._

_Arthur gently put the needle in Ariadne's arm and stared, wondering how mad she would be if she caught them, when a hair brush flew across the room and smacked him in the back of his head._

_"Eames!"_

_"Quit staring! She may be Sleeping Beauty but you're no Prince Charming. No matter how many times you kiss her she's not going to wake up until we go into her subconscious, learn her ring preference, get out, and wait for her to wake up!"_

"Yusef's sedative worked like a charm." Eames said with a proud smile. "She hardly remembered falling asleep. We were so quick she didn't even realize she was dreaming."

"I did the same thing with Mal."

"Did she catch you?"

"Of course not."

"Well, Arthur was a bit disappointed that Ariadne didn't catch us in her dream, but to give her credit, we were so quick, she didn't even have time to process her dream fully."

Cobb smiled. "Well, in the end he did a pretty good job with the ring, especially after all the stressing out he did beforehand."

"But that speech..."

"He went a little over the top there." Cobb agreed. "The sentiment's there though."

"I suppose. The point's made, as long as it is, and it has the fluff too. I just don't think it's them. It needs some spontaneality."

"Is that even a word?" Cobb asked. "Arthur wouldn't approve."

"Arthur rarely approves of what I do." Eames said with a smirk. "I hardly need his approval. He could take my advice from time to time. He refuses to listen, even when I'm right. Do you remember the big Arthur and Ariadne fight last year?"

"Don't remind me."

"Arthur didn't take my advice then about their relationship. Refused to hear me out until the end of the week right before them made good."

Cobb shook his head. "They were sharing an apartment at that point, so Ari felt the need to stay at my place."

_Cobb opened the door to see a sopping Ariadne on his porch. A blue suitcase stood at her side and the poor girl was fighting back tears even as they mixed with the rain and slipped down her cheeks. She flung herself at her mentor the moment he appeared, all boundaries down._

_"What happened?" Cobb demanded, holding the young architect._

_"Arthur," She choked out._

_"Is he all right?"_

_Ariadne nodded. "We...had an argument and I've never seen him so...it was all over nothing. Just nothing. And then I just..." Ariadne stopped, hiccupping too much to continue._

_"Come inside," Cobb said, grabbing her bag._

"One week. She was at my house for a full week, raging on and on to Phillipa about how nasty boys are, with the exception of me, James, Saito, Eames, and Yusef. Phillipa refused to look at the neighbor boys for three days afterwards, until they brought her some flowers."

Eames laughed. "Arthur didn't even stay in his apartment. He stayed with me because he thought Ariadne would want it! It was worse than having a teenage, hormal girl around the house."

"They're quite the pair, aren't they?"

"Amen! Before Ariadne, Arthur was so insufferable, but now he's slightly tolerable. She's the best part of our stick in the mud."

"Ariadne needs Arthur just as much as he needs her. Do you remember when Arthur went missing? She just about lost her mind." Cobb pointed out.

"Well it didn't help that you pulled protocol plan loss and forbid us from communicating. She was alone, searching for Arthur for two weeks before we all came together."

"It was a necessary evil. We all have to follow protocol if someone goes missing to avoid any connection between us. I didn't expect her to fall so far."

_"Ariadne darling, you need to eat. You're losing too much weight." Eames said gently._

_"Since when was that a bad thing?" Ariadne joked, focusing on the map of Arthur's last whereabouts._

_"Since it gets to the point when it's unhealthy. Arthur's not going to like seeing you so thin." Eames said._

_Ariadne's hair was beginning to lose its shine while her eyes were red and puffy from sleepless nights and tears. She had easily lost fifteen pounds in the past two and a half weeks._

_"Arthur can tell me that himself."_

_"Ari, you've barely eaten in the past three days. You need to relax." Cobb said sternly. "We're doing everything we can."_

_Yusef handed the girl a sandwich, eyes pleading. "Please Ariadne,"_

_She stared at Yusef for a moment before grabbing the sandwich and taking a bite._

_When Arthur was found five days later, the answer to his first question wasn't good._

_"We tried to convince her, but she's a stubborn little thing!" Eames explained._

_"She was just worried about you." Cobb said. "Just tell her how stupid she was so we can prevent this from happening again."_

_The moment Arthur stepped out of the car, Ariadne was running at him. Arthur met her halfway and he spun her around, giving her quick kisses. He was shocked at how light she felt after such a short time._

_"You're alive." She breathed._

_"You're lost weight." Arthur noted._

_"It doesn't matter. None of it matters now."_

"Yes, out little architect can be quite feisty if she wants." Eames said. "We can never make her do what she doesn't want."

"It took her a month to get back to herself. She still seems a little thin if you ask me." Cobb said.

"At least she wasn't angry or impatient like Arthur is whenever she disappears. All of us have went missing at some point. You'd think they would be able to cope better by now."

"He explodes while she implodes." Cobb concluded.

"Exact opposites, those two,"

Cobb glanced at the clock. It's eleven twenty. They should be here any minute."

"And in any minute you mean ten."

"Yeah."

"Finally! After all my hard work!" Eames yelled, jumping up in the air. "It's show time ladies and gentlemen!"

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><p><strong>The last chapter, of course, is going to be the proposal! Thanks to everyone who reviewed- you guys give me so much motivation! I hope you liked it!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur drove up to the Eiffel Tower, a confused Ariadne in the passenger seat.

"Arthur, what are we doing here?"

"We never got the chance to order dessert."

"They handed us the dessert menu back at the restaurant. You said you were full."

Arthur blinked blankly for a moment before saying, "They didn't have the right dessert."

"Arthur, what's going on? You've been acting strangely all night. Is something wrong?"

"Don't worry about it." Arthur said, looking as though he had swallowed an ice cube by accident as he hurriedly opened Ariadne's card door. "Follow me."

"You know you can just tell me if something happened, right?"

"I know."

The two took the elevator up the tower, lights changing all around them. The night sky was cloudless, allowing the stars and moon to shine down on the lovers. When they had reached the top, a single table was set up with a candle shining on it.

Ariadne gasped. "Oh my-"

"Your table," Cobb said, coming up to the two. He was dressed in a tux with a red tie, a waiter's white towel on his arm.

"Cobb?" Ariadne exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Cobb only winked as he brought the two to the table.

"Just go with it." Arthur whispered as the sat down.

"What would you like to eat?" Eames asked happily, a huge smile on his face.

"Eames?! You're here too?"

"Of course darling. And might I add that you look smashing tonight."

"Two orders of beignets please, extra powered sugar." Arthur said, barely glancing at the menu. "Thanks." He threw the menus at Eames a big hard, making him stumble back slightly.

"Stick in the mud," Eames whispered softly, walking away.

"Arthur, this is...this is _amazing_. I can't believe this! How did you get this place all alone?"

"I rented it out."

"You _rented out _the Eiffel Tower?"

"Well, when you put the inception money in the bank, add a few odd jobs on the side, I find my money multiplying." Arthur said. "You should know."

"Your beignets," Cobb said, carrying six small, rectangular shaped pastries covered in powdered sugar. "Enjoy,"

Beignets were Ariadne's treat, not Arthur's. Beignets were messy, a kind of treat he had never liked before meeting Ariadne.

"Thanks for getting these," Ariadne said, blushing.

"No problem."

As the two ate, Arthur began to feel excitement for the first time that night. In less than a few minutes, he would have an answer to the most important question in every man's life. "Do you remember what you do after you finish your beignets?" He asked softly.

"I'm the one who taught you the tradition."

Arthur smiled. "You go first."

"Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Ariadne picked up her plate and lightly blew the leftover powdered sugar, a fairly large pile, at Arthur.

"My turn," Taking a deep breath, Arthur sent the sugar sailing towards Ariadne, who laughed, wiping the sugar from her face as Arthur stared at the black box that had revealed itself on the plate.

Very slowly, tepidly, he stood up and got down on one knee next to Ariadne, who looked as though she were about to faint. Disbelief and wonder and astonishment filled her eyes with tears as realization dawned. Arthur removed a piece of paper from his tuxedo, looked at Ariadne, then threw it aside.

"That was the speech I spent the past three, four months working on. It's been seen by Cobb, Eames, Yusef, Saito, both our parents, jewelry store workers, and anyone at the supermarket unfortunate enough to hear me reading it to myself." Arthur admitted. "It took me until now to realize that it was all unnecessary. I take chances based on probability, statistics. I've put my trust in numbers more than a dozen times and even with the odds, somehow I've never quite felt complete."

"Arthur,"

"J-just let me finish." Arthur said. "My totem's a loaded die because it's controllable. But four and a half years ago, I realized that I had been going through life as half of a person, betting with one die instead of two. Ariadne, you're the part of me that's been missing, the part of me that I need to live. One die is useless without a partner and I don't want to be that way anymore. So...Ariadne...will you marry me?"

Arthur opened a velvet black box and turned it to Ariadne.

There was a pool of tears in her big brown eyes, as a smile graced her face. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! A million times yes!" Ariadne yelled, her voice gaining volume, happiness, and pitch with every word.

Arthur smiled as he took the ring out of the box and placed it on her left ring finger, loving how wonderful it looked.

A gleaming, green emerald sat in the middle of the ring, surrounded by a series of red stones.

"How did you know emeralds were my favorite?" Ariadne asked.

"Lucky roll of the dice," Arthur replied shyly, remembering her green city. He kissed Ariadne full on the mouth and twirled her around. He couldn't think of a time in life when he had been happier. "You know, if you hold it up to the light, there's a secret message inscribed in the emerald."

"What?" Ariadne examined the ring closer, as Arthur grabbed a mini-flashlight out of his pocket. He shined it directly on the emerald, which sparkled brilliantly. In the middle of the stone deep in its core were the words _pair-a-dice_ written in silver.

"Oh Arthur," She gasped. "You have no idea how much I love it."

Arthur grinned, sighing contentedly. The pressure that had rested on him all night had finally lifted. "Your reaction is all I need."

"Congratulations you guys." Cobb said, walking over with Eames and Yusef beside him.

"Yeah," Yusef added. "Congratulations,"

"We wanted to be with you tonight. Sorry for the interruptions." Eames said.

"When I rented out the place, the staff wasn't included." Arthur admitted. "These three were in town."

"Don't be sorry. They're part of the family." Ariadne said.

"Well Arthur, you did a great job. I knew you wouldn't screw it up." Eames praised. "And that speech! For once, you weren't a stick in the mud."

"Thanks Eames. That means a lot coming from you."

"Don't get used to it stick in the mud," he teased, bumping into Arthur. "Be good to her. The only reason I'm not objecting to this marriage is because I know you make her happy. Though how she could be attracted to you is beyond me,"

"Eames," Cobb warned.

"Give it a break," Yusef said.

"Anywho, I want you to be good to her. If you're anything else, I'll hunt you down and then you, me, Cobb, and Yusef will have a little fun in our dreams, hmm?" He said, eyes glinting and slightly narrowed.

"I doubt that'll be necessary." Ariadne said.

"You sure have a protective family." Arthur mused.

"You wouldn't have to worry about them." Ariadne said sweetly. "You'd have me to deal with."

The group laughed, the mood light once more. "Now that all the threats are out of the way, we can celebrate!" Eames cheered, presenting a bottle of champagne hidden from underneath the table.

"How long have you been holding onto that?" Ariadne asked playfully."

"Since nine thirty, when Arthur was circling your apartment until ten."

A slight blush came over Arthur's face. "Eames,"

"Did you really circle my house?" Ariadne asked, leaning on her fiancé.

"Maybe,"

"You're so funny,"

"Well if you two love birds are finished whispering," Eames stated loudly, handing the two each a glass of wine.

"Eames,"

"It's amusing how you always manage to bring everything back to me. I appreciate the sentiment darling, but in case you didn't know, weddings are all about the brides. Even ask Cobb."

"It's true."

"Darlings, I will do everything in my power to make it a success." Eames gushed. "So to the newly engaged, Arthur and Ariadne!" Congratulations! Oh, and Arthur, I expect to be the best man or wedding planner. Either one will suffice."

"Wedding planner." Arthur said quickly.

"At least let me be your first child's godfather! I know it won't be long before you two start popping out those kids!" Eames exclaimed, much to the embarrassment of the reddening Arthur and Ariadne. Cobb and Yusef only smiled, glancing at each other knowingly.

"Oh, and did I mention that I've already set up your bachelor party?"

* * *

><p><strong>And scene! The proposal speech was a little cheesy, but mostly I hope it was okay for the most part! Out of most of the fanfictions I've written, this is one of my favorites! Thanks again for reading Momentos!<strong>


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